The Snuggler
by Maldorana
Summary: During one particularly harsh winter, Diaval has an idea to fight off the cold with his Mistress...


**Hi guys! I just wanted to get this published after the so very cold weather crossing Europe last week. Here in London it snowed for 5 days straight it was crazy xD Anyway, this is a little crackfic from the scraps of Comfort Only. Enjoy!**

The patrols were going to take longer and longer, thought Maleficent as she struggled to walk in the enchanted forest of the Moors. A good layer of snow covered everything, which was not so unusual for the season, but the frost on top of it and the constant wind howling around them definitely was, not to mention the alarmingly low temperature. This was most certainly the coldest winter they've had in nearly thirty years. Fortunately, the beastie was now five years old and didn't rely on her watchful eye for survival anymore, because the long walk to the cottage was one she would not do in this weather, even to insure the fulfillment of her revenge. As for her raven, it would be criminal to send him anywhere with this blizzard. Birds weren't built for freezing temperatures, which was why she allowed him to spend most of his time as a human lately, even though he could be particularly insufferable sometimes.

Speaking of said insufferable bird, she heard Diaval calling her from behind, and with a wisp of magic, the dark fairy sent a heating spell his way, drying his clothes for what felt like the hundredth time today. It was rather annoying but if she didn't do so, she knew her servant would get sick, and that was the last thing she needed. She glanced his way to check on him. He was tightly wrapped in his coat and shivering, but vigilant as ever, scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. If she didn't know him any better, she would have been surprised he hadn't used the extreme temperature as an excuse to stay balled up into a warm hideaway of some sort. She knew _she_ wanted to. Instead, he was following her wherever she went without even being ordered to do so. The dark fairy cracked a smile at the thought and let her heating spell linger a bit longer than necessary around him.

They soon arrived at the rowan tree, where Maleficent extended its large roots to build them a small shelter from the blizzard. They both sat around a small fire and ate the meager food they had managed to collect.

"You were shivering last night," pointed the raven-man almost timidly after he finished the last of his dinner.

He knew she wasn't affected by the cold as much as he was, and to be honest he had wondered sometimes if she felt it at all, as she never seemed to display any of those reflexes his human body had when he was too cold, like shivering, sneezing or chattering teeth.

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but the nights are getting cold," she sneered icily.

Of course, she could cast a heating spell in her nest, but doing so for the whole night would keep her awake and be rather draining.

"I know. I was cold too," he admitted, lowering his gaze.

Not sure why her servant suddenly felt the need to point the obvious, Maleficent drank from the canteen of water and resumed eating, while her raven seemed deep in thoughts. By the time she finished her meal, he kept glancing at her uncertainly, as if he was afraid of asking her something. At some point, he turned to her and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and he let out a long sigh, avoiding her gaze.

"What?" she spat, annoyed.

His peculiar attitude was starting to get on her nerves, especially from a creature who never had a problem infuriated her by talking either too much or too freely.

"Maybe I could sleep in your nest for the rest of the winter?" He blurted out all of a sudden.

The raven-man regretted his words at once. He winced and closed his eyes as a surge of green, untamed magic erupted from the dark fairy, but it never reached him. Instead, her fierce voice made him look back at her.

"I do hope you're kidding Diaval. Or shall I turn you into something slimy and let you freeze in the snow to get rid of such ridiculous notions?"

The fairy exhaled slowly and tried to get her temper under control. She was sure he hadn't meant to offend her, and she couldn't be mad at him for seeking a bit of warmth these days. She herself would be willing to do a great many things for a bit of heat, but this was a line she wouldn't cross, no matter how cold she was.

"Humans do that to get warmer," the raven-man grumbled mildly.

He could clearly remember the king and queen comfortably tucked in their bed with all those layers of fur to keep them warm. Why couldn't they do just that? If a dead animal provided warmth, a living one should be even better.

"Humans?" She scoffed. "Humans are disgusting and abusive creatures, and I won't, under any circumstances, welcome one in my nest."

The raven-man was so taken aback by her words that he actually looked around to be sure she was indeed talking to him and not to some human nearby. He didn't follow her here.

"I know _that_ ," he deadpanned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"You wanting to sleep in my nest," she replied at once.

Maleficent cursed herself for not sounding as harsh as she'd wanted to. His reaction didn't make any sense to her and that made her sound way too baffled for her taste.

Suddenly, Diaval remembered he was in man form and realised that alone could explain the defensive attitude of the fairy. But seriously, how could she assume he was so disrespectful as to ask her for such a thing? Hadn't he proved his devotion during the several years he's been in her service?

"Not as a man!" He protested, truly outraged. "What kind of warmth would a featherless body bring you, anyway?" He added moodily.

At that, she raised an eyebrow. After all, maybe he didn't have any hidden purpose behind the peculiar suggestion... She'd taken the habit of expecting the worst of anyone - which proved to be rather accurate more often than not - but it was true Diaval had always been an exception to this. She made a mental note to keep this in mind from now on, as he had grown to be particularly offended if she ever was to doubt his trustworthiness.

"What animal do you have in mind?" she inquired on a detached tone.

The dark fairy would never admit it, but with the freezing air biting at her skin, the prospect of spending the night warmed by any kind of body heat seemed more and more tempting by the second.

"I don't know. Something big and fluffy. With feathers... or even fur," he said sheepishly.

The truth was, he had no idea what he could become to get her warmer, but he was hoping she did. She was the one changing him, after all.

"A _dog_?" She teased, her expression softer than before.

He winced at that, trying not to imagine being in the skin of a stupid, filthy mutt. Fortunately, he never had to endure that. His Mistress was well aware of his disgust at the idea, and had been good enough to never turn him into anything near canine. Well, at least until now...

"I'm sure you can think of something that won't make your nest stink for days," he replied with a grimace.

Maleficent pursued her lips slightly to hide the smile that threatened to appear on her face. She knew how uncomfortable it was for him to find himself in a new form, and she was touched to see his devotion was so deep as to ask for something he despised in order to make her feel better. She was truly thankful to have him around. Since the first year serving her, he had developed this habit of looking after her, and while it was certainly not needed, it was well appreciated. At least she knew that one soul actually _cared_ about her well being.

Diaval titled his head to the side, trying to guess what she was thinking about, but before he could say anything to convince her further, he was a raven again. He knew that meant she'd had enough of the conversation for tonight, and his hopes of huddling with his mistress for warmth disappeared instantly. At least their little talk had served to entertain her. She hadn't smiled, but her stiff shoulders had relaxed, and her expression had softened. He watched her climb to her nest mournfully and flew to his own. Maybe he could try to bring back the subject in a few days. She might have thought about it and be more open to the idea by then.

A minute later, he was getting as comfortable as possible in his frost-covered nest when he heard her voice calling for him.

"Are you coming or not?" She snapped grumpily.

He let out a loud caw in surprise and flew to land on the side of her nest swiftly. He peered inside warily and looked up at her. She had her back to him and was slowly untying her hair.

The raven wasn't sure if he should be seeing his mistress like this, and the fact that he was so close to a place that had always been off-limits to him didn't help chasing the uneasy feeling either. He let out a nervous caw to remind her of his presence and she glanced his way.

"Come on in, then. I'm almost done," she said patiently while combing through her hair.

She watched from the corner of her eye as her raven hopped inside and curled up in a corner of the nest. His meek attitude was enough to hush the part of her that feared the prospect of letting him so close. He had stayed by her side and served her faithfully for nearly a decade when he could have left anytime. He had stayed and supported her actions when bitterness and hatred had turned her into an evil monster. It would be ridiculous not to trust him now.

Diaval revelled in the warmth inside and the fluffiness of her nest while he observed her putting away the wooden comb. Who could have guessed she liked her things being so soft, he thought with amusement.

"Now," she said, turning elegantly to him.

He hopped closer, before letting out a caw to announce he was ready. A second later, he felt his body growing into the form of a bear. He knew that form rather well - over the years, Maleficent had gotten into the habit of using it anytime she needed him to frighten humans - so he wasn't surprised by the sudden myriad of scents he could pick up. Upon instinct, he got up on his back paws and sniffed around to make sure the humans were still behind the thorn wall and that no other danger was nearby.

"Diaval?" The fairy called sternly.

He turned and dropped back on all fours before her. Her nest looked so tiny all of a sudden. He was pressed against the edge of it and still was only inches from touching her. He sniffed toward her carefully and recognised the slightest trace of apprehension. He figured it was only normal. He was quite imposing in this form after all, and she wasn't used to being so close to him in any other form than that of a bird. The raven turned bear tilted his head at her the way he would in his feathery form, hoping that alone would reassure her, and he was glad to note the smell of doubt diminishing around her.

"So, how do you propose we do this?" she asked nonchalantly.

Diaval awkwardly motioned for her to lie down, and tilted his head again with a moaning sound when she hesitated.

" _Fine_ , but remember, a single misstep and you'll be sleeping in the snow." He had the cheek to snort at that, unimpressed, until she added, "and as a _dog_."

Maleficent let her lips twitch upward at his melodramatic whine and proceeded to lay down on her side. She had two choices: either exposing her back to him or facing him. She went for the latter and reached for the discarded blanket, only to realise Diaval was already holding a corner of it in his mouth. He brought it to her docilely and lay down against her, his back to her front. The dark fairy froze upon feeling him so close to her, but didn't protest. She knew what she was in from the start, and she had agreed to it for a reason. She wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, tucking the fabric between her and her furry servant. However, after several minutes of pure denial, she had to admit his fur was much warmer than the fabric covering her. With a wary sigh, she lifted the edge of the blanket to cover his massive form as well, so it would direct his warmth toward her in a more effective way. That was much better, she thought contentedly when the temperature under the blanket reached an acceptable level. However, it was only when her servant's breathing had deepened from slumber that Maleficent finally let herself relax next to him. She smiled at the feathers tangled in the thick fur of his back and reached for them. No matter what form she changed him into, he would always end up with a few black feathers on him. Without thinking, she buried her cold hands into his fur and felt instantly better. In the end, it wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought having him so near. The strong heartbeat reverberating beneath his hide, his familiar smell and the soft and cosy fur against her skin were slowly lulling her to sleep. By the time she was too drowsy to think about what she was doing, her body shifted closer to him until her chest was tightly pressed against his back. But the moment her arm wandered to his side, he woke with a start. The fairy drew in a sharp breath and froze, suddenly aware she's been in the process of unconsciously snuggling - _snuggling!_ \- against her servant. She was so mortified by the situation that her body refused to move away. She had to do something to avoid the confrontation. She had to soothe him back to sleep. With any luck, he might not even remember stirring awake in the first place.

Diaval sleepily looked around in confusion when he realised he wasn't in his nest. He was only half awake, but his survival instinct kicked in and pushed him to check if the area was safe before going back to sleep. The raven-bear was about to get up when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Everything's fine, Diaval. Go back to sleep," the fairy said softly.

 _Mistress_ , he thought, finally understanding she was the one curled up against his back. He blissfully settled back down and was asleep within minutes, all too happy to doze off knowing his beloved mistress was so near.

At long last, the turmoil in Maleficent's chest eased enough for her to be able to move, but she barely let herself breathe in fear of rousing her raven again - this time for good - and having to explain anything. After some time in the comfort of his warmth, her eyelids became too heavy to resist. Before she knew what was happening, she was already fast asleep, and snuggling even closer against him.

The following morning, Diaval woke up at dawn, like always. Sleeping in the skin of a bear wasn't as uncomfortable as he'd expected, in the end. His thick fur provided not only warmth, but also plenty of padding, and having his mistress so close was incredibly soothing. He had been delightfully surprised when he had found her curled up against his back with an arm hugging his side. He didn't know what had gotten into her to be so affectionate all of a sudden, but he didn't mind in the slightest. Her proximity seemed to warm him up from the inside, and it felt both strange and amazing. No doubt she wriggled closer during the night only in the hope to fight off the cold temperature, but he liked to think that she was lowering her guard because she knew she could trust him. He hoped she was just as warm and comfortable as he was. With any luck, she would consider the inconvenience of accommodating him into her nest worthwhile and be open to repeating the experience.

He felt her stir and moved to turn around and greet her properly, but she drew away sharply. He froze. _Mistress?_ What did he do? Before he could figure out what happened, his body shrank back to his avian form.

"Go," she said, a little breathlessly.

Maleficent refrained a shiver while observing him bow his head and take flight. She missed his warmth already, but couldn't allow him in her nest any longer. That would never do for her servant to realize she was a _damn_ _snuggler_. She cringed at the thought. She was supposed to instill fear and respect in him at all times, not let herself behave like she trusted him. She sighed and started to get ready for the daily patrol. She knew she shouldn't have given his idiotic idea a go…

 **Many thanks to DancingKitKat for beta-reading! I've decided not to publish another chapter for this one so I'll leave it guys to your imagination ^^  
**


End file.
